The Struggle Bus

All aboard the struggle bus!!

Where we struggle everyday and just enjoy the ride.

I was going to write the little choo choo noise, but just realized that was for a train and we are on a bus.

There has been a lot of change in our family recently, and with every new change is a new adventure.
We are a family of four; My husband, my two children, and myself. Recently we have grown to a family of six, and no I did not have twins.

For a while I had been offering my sister, Darah, the spare bedroom in the front of the house if she wanted to move in with us. Back in May she finally moved in. In fact she took my boring plain white extra bedroom and redid it to this cool grey and navy artsy bedroom; it has a great vibe.

Adding Darah into the mix was a big adjustment, but probably a bigger adjustment for her because she was in OUR dynamics now. You know that dynamic? The one with two screaming kids that live in a house? She’s my sister, we have lived together before, in fact we shared a bedroom for a good chunk of our lives, sooooo no big deal. No big deal is what I thought anyway.Darah moves in right at the end of school. So she had to get used to me constantly saying “Jonah, get your shoes on” or ” Don’t forget to brush your teeth” every morning. Because lets be honest, Jonah is six, and it is hard to get him to focus on anything for more than 2.5 seconds.

Just as things are starting to settle down (as calm as they can be) and we are getting into the groove of things, a sixth person strolls into our lives.

This sixth person is my sister’s band mate, the “lead singer”.

The lead singer has been living in our house for two weeks (actually two weeks tomorrow). Initially, he was just on the couch, but after having a lengthy conversation with him and then my husband, he is officially not just sleeping on the couch anymore.

That can only mean one thing, another change! ( *sings* “everyday I’m struggling”)

Since we are going to be compensated for lead singer living in our house, I felt that it was only right he has a room. It is not okay that his room is where I watch TV and occasionally fall asleep. This is where all hell breaks loose, why? because my house only has 4 rooms.

There are a billon thoughts that go through my head. Build a loft in Darah’s room it is her friend. Add a room into the garage. rent an apartment and live like I don’t have kids. HELP!

“Jonah, your sister is moving into your room!”

Before moving Judah into Jonah’s room we have a conversation with him. This lead him to tears because “Judah would eat all his Legos”. Finally, we put our feet down, and say “Jonah, your sister is moving into your room simple as that.

Boy was I wrong about that!!!!!!!

Moving Judah took around six hours and a couple intense conversations with my husband. I do NOT understand how one small child has so much shit. Literally, the only thing of Judah’s that went into Jonah’s room was her bed. Everything else is strategically in our room. Judah’s dresser looks super cute on a blank wall I have been trying to fill, but that is not the focus here.
The focus is… what is lead singer going to sleep on? What are we going to do? Think and problem solve.

The only thing we have to do is get the bunk beds from my moms house and put them together(easier said then done). Jonah says the most dramatic thing as we are moving his bed into the other room. “Mom, that bed is still a part of me”, with tears streaming down his face and sobbing (*eye roll*). I never knew how important a bed could be. The thing is HE IS GOING TO GET HIS BED BACK!

JONAH YOU ARE GOING TO GET YOUR BED BACK!!!

Needless to say, lead singer has a room and a bed. Jonah and Judah are sharing a room ( for now).

In fact, Jonah and Judah just barged into my room. This happens every morning since “the move” but usually it entails a door slam and Judah screaming. Jonah is currently telling me all about his night and how he “can’t handle her[Judah] moving back and forth all night, tossing and turning.”

One thing I am able to do is sing you are my sunshine to my kids together at bedtime. There is a little shimmer in the struggle.

We are all adapting and accepting the changes but the struggle is real y’all! The biggest adjustment I am having to make is remembering to put a bra on before walking out of my room to make coffee.

Heather:
Well my sister gets the luxury of having a room. Lead singer almost got the couch indefinitely but my daughter is at an age that she probably won’t remember she got the boot out of her own room.

LOL, Oh how well I know your story! We have had so many people live with us in our 20 yrs of marriage! my brother, my sister, his brother, his sister..and her 3 kids! I wish I had some great, inspirational advice for you. All I can say is, I pray it is a temporary stay! CLAIM YOUR DOMAIN! and never, ever make your kids feel like they don’t have a space and a place of their own, IN THEIR OWN HOME! much love to ya!

Change is so hard, especially when you bring extra family into the mix! I must say;you are very generous for opening your house to your family like that, change is never easy but sometimes we just have to go with the flow 🙂

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